Key points from article :
Immune system plays a role in the link between personality traits and long-term risk of death.
People who are more conscientious tend to live longer.
"Personality is known to be associated with long-term risk of death," - Páraic Ó Súilleabháin, principal investigator.
People scoring lower on the personality trait of conscientiousness can be at a 40 percent increased risk of future death.
Interleukin-6 and c-reactive protein may explain how our personality traits are related to how long we live.
Carried out on 957 adults who were examined over a 14-year period.
“People who score higher...live longer, specifically due to lower levels of interleukin-6."
“Further biological mechanisms that are yet to be discovered."
Findings provide an opportunity for future interventions to increase our longevity and health across the lifespan.
Research by University of Limerick published in the Journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity.
